Wire coating apparatus



y 1962 H. D. WILLIAMS 3,034,477

WIRE COATING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 29, 1960 INVENTOR. blmerfl l'V/u HMS ATTOAA/B United States Patent 3,034,477 WIRE COATING APPARATUS Harry D. Williams, Bloomington, lnd., assignor to Radio Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 29, 1960, Ser. No. 52,679 Claims. (Cl. 118-223) This invention relates to wire coating apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for coating insulated wire with various colors to provide identifying markings thereon.

The primary object of this invention is to provide improved wire coating apparatus for applying one or more markings longitudinally along the wire.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an improved wire coating apparatus which uniformly coats a moving wire.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved wire coating apparatus Which is readily adaptable to coating wires with inks of various colors.

It is still another object of this invention to provide an improved wire coating apparatus which uses liquid inks and which can be stored easily for long periods of time without its liquid content evaporating.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an improved wire coating apparatus which can color coat either all of the wire (that is, around the entire surface thereof) or merely provide colored stripes longitudinally therealong which encompass less than the entire circumfere nce of the wire.

it is a further object of this invention to provide an improved Wire coating apparatus which can coat a. wire with stripes of either one color or more than one color concurrently.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide an improved wire coating apparatus as aforesaid which is simple and economical to manufacture, which is easy to maintain and operate, and which is eificient in use.

According to one form of this invention, a wire coat ing apparatus is provided which includes a supporting member on which a liquid applicator is rotatably mounted. The liquid applicator comprises a pot which can be filled with liquid ink for color coating Wire and a cover for the pot which has two pairs of openings therethrough. The openings in each pair of openings are offset relative to each other. A wick is positioned within each of the openings in the cover with one end of each wick extending into the liquid ink in the pot, the other end of each wick protruding above the surface of the cover. One of the wicks in each pair of Wicks has a groove in that portion of its surface which protrudes above the cover. To color coat a wire, the liquid applicator is first turned to a first position such that a wire can be inserted between the two wicks of a pair of wicks without coming in contact with them. The liquid applicator is then rotated to a second position to bring the two wicks between which the wire has been inserted'into engagement with the wire, the wire then being seated in the groove of the grooved wick and engaging the other wick at the periphery thereof. If the wire is then drawn between the wicks, the wire will be uniformly color coated. The color of the coating placed on the wire may conform to a prescribed code, if desired, to thereby indicate the particular use for which the wire is intended. If it is desired to coat only one side of the wire, the grooved wick can be covered, thereby allowing the wire to contact only the ungrooved wick. This provides merely a stripe of color longitudinally'along the wire. A second wire can be similarly coated by threading it between the other pair of wicks as described above.

If it is desired to change the color of the coating applied on the wire, the liquid applicator is removed from the surface of the supporting member and another, similar liquid applicator which contains ink of a different color is inserted in its place. The wire can be threaded between the wicks of the new liquid applicator and the pot turned to the second position so that the wire comes in contact with the wicks.

The novel features of this invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, as well as additional objects and advantages thereof, will be understood more fully from the following description, when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

PEG. 1 is a plan view of one form of the wire coating apparatus, according to the present invention, with the liquid applicator shown in the ink applying position,

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the wire coating apparatus of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the wire coating apparatus with the liquid applicator in its other position.

Referring, now, more particularly to the drawing, a

wire coating apparatus 10 is shown having a supportingmember or base 12, one or more reels 14 mounted below the surface of the supporting member 12 and on each of which is wound an insulation covered wire 16 (two such reels and wires being shown by way of illustration), and a liquid applicator 13 including wicks 20 for applying coloring liquid or ink to the surface of the insulation. Certain of the wicks 20 may be formed with grooves 48, if desired.

The supporting member or base 12 includes a surface 21 which has a turntable assembly 22 mounted thereon for rotation to one or another of two positions. When the assembly 22 is rotated to a first position, the liquid applicator 18 and wicks 20 are positioned as illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawing; and when the assembly 22 is rotated to its second position, the wicks 20 are positioned as illustrated in FIG. 1. A spring loaded stop 23'is provided for locking the assembly 22 in either the first or second position. Mounted on the legs of the supporting member 12 is a rack 24 for supporting the pair of reels 14 on which the uncoated wire 16 is wound. The rack 24- allows for easy replacement of the reels 14 once the wire 16 is spent. Positioned at one end of the surface 21 of the supporting member 12 is a pulley 25 over which the uncoated wire 16 to be color coated is drawn. A pulley support 26 positions the pulley 25 at the same height as the grooves 48 in the wicks 20.

The liquid applicator 18 comprises a pot 30 which has a threaded protrusion 31 on the bottom surface thereof for positioning the applicator 18 on the turntable assembly 22. The applicator 18 is secured to the turntable assembly 22 by a nut 32, so that the applicator 18 will rotate with the turntable assembly. Located on top of the pot 30 is a cover 33 which is held in place by means of a number of swing bolts 34 and wing nuts 35. The cover 33 has two pairs of openings 36 and 37 therethrough. The openings in each of the pairs of openings 36 and 37 are offset with respect to each other, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, forreasons to be hereinafter described. The cover 33 also has an opening 38 which is sealed by a cap 39 and through which the pot can be filled with coloring liquid. I w Positioned within each of the openings 36 and 37 is a wick holder 27 which is secured in place by means of a nut 40. Each of the wick holders 27 contains one of the wicks 20 which are preferably square and which may be made of felt. The surfaces 41 of the wick holders 27, adjacent the nuts 40, are threaded in order that caps 42 can be secured over the Wicks when the device is not in use, thereby making the pot airtight and preventing the evaporation of the coloring liquid or ink. One end of offset openings therethrough so that only one pair of,

wicks would be provided for coating a single wire.

Located near the periphery of the liquid applicator 18 and attached to the supporting surface 21 near the pulley '25 is a pair of wire guides 49 which insure that the wires 16, being taken from the reels 14, will make contact with the grooved wicks 20a in the grooves 48 thereof. At the opposite side of the liquid applicator 18 is a second set of guides 50 which insure the proper alignment of the wires 16 between the wicks 20.

In order to'coat a pair of wires 16, a liquid applicator 18 containing the desired coloring ink is positioned on the turntable assembly 22 and secured in place by the nut 32. The turntable is then rotated to the position illustrated in FIG. 3. A Wire from each of the reels '14 is then threaded, as shown in FIG. 3, over the pulley I reel or directly to a device in which the wire could be used. The turntable assembly is then rotated to the position illustrated in FIG. 1. In this position of the turntable, the grooved wicks 20a'have seated therein the respective wires 16 which now contact the wicks 20a at their grooves 48. The wires 21 are also simultaneously in contact with the other or ungrooved wicks 20 in the respective pairs of wicks. The wires are then drawn through the liquid applicator 18 (that is, past the inked wicks 20 thereof), thereby coating the entire surfaces of the wires 16. When it is desired not to coat the entire surface of a wire, the grooved wick 20a is covered with its cup 42, so that the wire will engage only the ungrooved wick 20. This causes only a stripe of the desired color to be applied to the wire longitudinally thereof as the wire is drawn along the uncovered wick.

If one wishes to change the color of the coating being applied to the wires 16, the turntable 22 is rotated to the position shown in FIG. 3, and the wires 16 removed from between the wicks 20. The liquid applicator 18 can then be replaced by another, similar applicator 18 containing a difierent colored liquid ink.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that I have provided an improved wire coating apparatus. While I have illustrated and described one particular form of such apparatus, it will, no doubt, be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the particular apparatus disclosed, all within the spirit of the present invention. Hence, I desire that the foregoing shall be taken merely as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

L'A wire coating device comprising a container for a marking liquid, and a pair of wicks between which a wireto be coated canbe passed, said wicks being oflfset relative to each other on opposite sides of the path of travel of said wire and extending into said container, one of said wicks being formed with a groove therein for reception of said wire to engage said wire along at least one side thereof, and said wire being adapted to simultaneously engage the other side.

2. A wire coating device comprising a container for a marking liquid, a pair of wicks between which a wire to be coated can be passed, said wicks being offset relative to each other on opposite sides of the path of travel of said wire and extending into said container, one of said wicks being formed with a groove therein for reception of said wire to engage said wire along at .least one side thereof, said wire being adapted to simultaneously engage the. other of said wicks along its opposite side, and

of said wicks along its opposite means cooperating with said container for covering said wicks to thereby make said container airtight.

3. A wire coating device comprising a container for a marking liquid, a pair of relatively ofiset wicks between which a wire to be coated can be passed, said wicks ex tending into said container, and means mounting said container for rotation from one to another of two positions, said wicks being disposed to engage said wire when said container is in one of said positions and to be out of engagement with said wire when said container is rotated to the other of its said positions.

4. A wire coating device comprising a container for a marking liquid, a pair of oiiset wicks between which a wire to be coated can be passed, said wicks extending into said container, one of said wicks being formed with a groove therein for reception of said wire, and said wire being adapted to simultaneously engage the other of said wicks, and means mounting said container for rotation from one to another of two positions, said wicks being disposed to engage said wire when said container is in one of said positions and to be out of engagement with said wire when said container is rotated to the other of its said positions.

5. A wire coating device compirsing a container for a marking liquid, a cover for'said container having a pair of openings therethrough, a pair of relatively offset wicks between which a wire to be coated can be passed, said wicks being respectively positioned in said openings and extending into said container, one of said wicks being formed with a groove therein for reception of said wire, said wire being adapted to simultaneously engage the other of said wicks, means mounting said container for rotation from one to another of two positions, said wicks being disposed to engage said wire when said container is in one of said positions and to be out of engagement with said wire when said container is rotated to the other of said positions, and means cooperating with said container for covering said wicks to thereby make said con 7 tainer air-tight.

6. A wire coating device comprising a container for a marking liquid, a cover for said container having two pairs of opening therethrough, a wick within each of said openings extending into said container, said wicks being positioned so as to receive a first wire between one pair of said wicks and a second wire between another pair of said wicks whereby both said wires can be coated simultaneously, one wick in each said pair of wicks contacting one side of said wires and the other wick in each of said pair of wicks contacting the other side of said wires, and means mounting said container for rotation from one to another of two positions, said wicks being disposed to engage said wire when said container is in one of said positions and to be out of engagement with said wire when said container is rotated to the other of its said positions.

7. A wire coating device comprising a base, a container for marking liquid mounted on said base, a pair of wicks between which a wire to be coated can be passed, said wicks being offset relative to each other on opposite sides of thc path of travel of said wire and extending into said container, one of said wicks'being' formed with a groove therein for reception of said wire to engage said wire along at least one side thereof, said wire being adapted to simultaneously engage the other of said wicks along its opposite side, and capping means adapted to be removably applied over said wicks in air-tight relation with said container to thereby preserve the marking liquid in said container against evaporation.

8. A wire coating device comprising a base, a container for a marking liquid, means mounting said container on said base for movement thereon from one to another of two positions, a cover for said container having two pairs of openings therethrough, and a wick within each of said openings extending into said container, said wicks being positioned so as to receive a first wire between one pair of said wicks and a second wire between another pair of said wicks, whereby both said wires can be coated simultaneously, one of said wicks in each of said pairs being formed with a groove therein for reception of the wire, and said wires being adapted to simultaneously engage the other of said wicks in each of said pair of wicks, said wicks being disposed to engage said wires when said container is in one of said positions and to be out of engagement with said wires when said container is moved to the other of its said positions.

9. A wire coating device comprising a base, a container for a marking liquid, means mounting said container on said base for movement thereon from one to another of two positions, a cover for said container having two pairs of openings therethrough, a wick within each of said openings extending into said container, said wicks being positioned so as to receive a first wire between one pair of said wicks and a second wire between another pair of said wicks, whereby both said wires can be coated simultaneously, one of said wicks in each of said pairs being formed with a groove therein for reception of the wire, and said Wires being adapted to simultaneously engage the other of said wicks in each of said pair of wicks, said wicks being disposed to engage said wires when said container is in one of said positions and to be out of engagement with said wires when said container is moved to the other of its said positions, and means adapted to be applied to said container over said wicks in airtight relation with said container to thereby preserve the marking liquid in said container against evaporation.

10. A wire coating device comprising a container for a marking liquid, a pair of relatively offset wicks, said wicks extending into said container, and means mounting said container for movement from one to another of two positions, said Wicks being disposed to engage said wire when said container is in one of said positions and to be out of engagement with said wire when said container is moved to the other of its said positions.

15 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,432,404 Galatioto Dec. 9, 1947 2,712,297 McGraw July 5, 1955 26 2,766,136 Gray Oct. 9, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 350,056 Great Britain June 11, 1937 833,117 France Oct. 12, 1938 

